morpeth

I think the shifting you refer to depends a bit on what part of the country, yet even when I had 4 weeks vacation, few manager would take that every year. Though I would guess in government jobs people take more vacation days than the private sector. I would always plan my vacation days around holidays to have more days off in a row.

On the other hand, I know factories in Midwest where it has not uncommon workers may have to work 30 or even 60 days straight without even 1 day off.

Redwing

I ended up getting 4 weeks after 10 years, plus Federal holidays. However, when I went to check on vacation time one day, I found that nobody in the company kept a record of when people took time off!

PetrifiedExPat

Also my experience. In addition, if you're meeting goals and exceeding expectations, I feel this is worried about even less.

fbf2006

I have 20 vacation days. I worked in the UK for the same company and think I had 25 days. I can't remember.

Rete

I don't believe that that is completely correct. I'm of the generation as an American where we were raised to have what was once called the "protestant" work ethnic and to believe in the concept of loyalty to and by the company you worked for. Also if you found a good job where you could earn a good salary and advance, you usually stayed in the employment for your entire working life.

That has eroded quickly over the last 30-40 years.

I've never been discouraged from taking my vacation time, my personal/sick time or any of my holiday allotted time off.

Before I retired, I had enjoyed 4 weeks (20 days) of vacation time, 12 sick and personal days and 10-11 public holidays for over ten years. I could carry over as much vacation time as I wished and I was paid on the first pay day in January for whatever personal/sick time I had not used. If I worked any public holidays, I was paid double time and a half.

PS I never took all 4 weeks each year. Vacations were never at the top of my list of things to do. While the kids were young we would vacation at the sea shore for a week each year and when I was remarried we would spend two weeks at the lake. My PTO took care of doctor and dentist appointments and those days when I just didn't feel like going into the office. And the extra pay check at the start of the new year for the PTO that wasn't used would pay for some, if not all, of the rental on the cottage that summer. So I would always feel like I vacation at company expense LOL

PPS And if there was a snow storm in the NYC area or a heavy rainy and public transportation was sketchy and you made it into the office while 2/3rds of the rest of the office didn't, you were paid plus given an additional vacation day and treated to lunch.

mrken30

My company does everything on a trust policy, including filing for expenses. Actually there is no written policy.

scrubbedexpat099

If you work for the Government you maybe getting some extra days off.

mrken30

Or just working unpaid

MidAtlantic

No, on previous shutdowns they were paid retrospectively even though they hadn't worked.

I had a family member who was regarded as essential and had to work. She was paid just like those who had not been required to work.

HDWill

I think "taking a month off" is still widely regarded as crazy in the U.S., even though many people have twenty vacation days on paper.

morpeth

Few companies I worked for did I see people taking a month off, especially for managers. Though with email and cell phones makes it easier to take time off. As I hear many times in Latin America, " Americans live to work, we work to live". Though maybe government workers take more time off,probably as not much consequence compared to private sector.

scrubbedexpat099

I do know that when I came over and was looking to organise squash games, peak time Uk 7 to 8pm to get a court, peak time US 5 to 6 pm. By 7pm place was empty.

I think the difference is more short holidays, long weekends etc etc. Leas 2 weeks at the coast.

SteveSweet

My new company here in the US has that policy (unlimited paid time off). I don't think it leads to people taking much more vacation than they would otherwise, as there's no obligation for the company to keep employing you.

Bob

I think it's possibly done in places where they have to pay out accrued holiday time if someone leaves. This way, you don't accrue anything, so they save money. Seem's that way, at least.

Lord PercyPercy

The company I'm at accrues time as you go throughout the year, so currently I accrue 6.77 hours every pay period as well as two "floating holidays" and 8 official holidays.

At the end of the year, I will have accrued 176 hours or 22 days. Plus I carried over 5 days from last year, so I'm doing ok in this department.